Cannot Sparkle in the Light
By The1Ryu
“The calculations are wrong,” these were Sparkler’s thoughts as the numbers wrote themselves across the screen as fast as she could read them. Her mind circled maybe one or two numbers in the equation with the same damning red marker her teachers had once used against her, but even one red mark was damning.
“…and by absorbing the energy of the primary energy pulse, the shield will be able to hold against the explosive force to the secondary and we’ll be pushed out safely.” The Doctor said as he continued running around the console pulling leavers, pressing buttons and spinning wheels altering mechanics of a machine in a way she only vaguely understood.
“The ride will be a bit bumpy but hay what’s a family trip without a little bad weather, right Amethyst Star!” He cheered giving a little bump as he ran past.
“Right Professor!” Sparkler cheered back a large smile masked across her face.
He was right of course. He had to be right. She felt the thumping in her chest speed, but was quick to remind herself that this was the Doctor. He was a genius among geniuses. He had survived the worse the universe, several universes in fact, could throw at him. Here she was thinking she could find fallacy in his work, she let out a nervous chuckle trying to make sound like a laugh at her own ridiculousness. Sure she had a good head for math, ridiculously good give how little she cared for the subject, but still it was nothing compared to his skill with equations.
Derpy Hooves looked from the doctor to her loomed daughter the strain around her eyes allowing them both to focus on her with a concerned look. “Is everything all right Sparkler?”
“Ya,” she lied without so much as a pause, “Nothing to worry about with the Professor on it.”
She looked away from her mother, unable to maintain eye contact, but never losing her pasted on smile. Sparkler watched as Dinky assisted the doctor, flipping switches and pushing buttons with her magic at his direction. They smiled and rhymed instruction, Dinky echoing the Doctor’s words as she worked, and Sparkler couldn’t help but see the simple play of a goofy father and his underage filly, ignoring or totally oblivious to the two worried mares in the room.
Sparkler’s teeth clenched together under her smiling lips as she held back the scream that clawed at her chest. Why couldn’t they see the problem? She wondered. It was right there on the screen just a few miss assigned numbers, a couple really or perhaps only one. Her mind continued to work the math with more unnatural skill then even she had thought she possessed. She had not quiet found all the problems, or the possible solution she hoped was there, but the Doctor should have seen it as well. Why wasn’t he paying attention to what he was doing? Why wasn’t he seeing it?
Derpy Hooves continued to watch Sparkler, lines or worry spreading across her face. The smile never left the mare’s face but she stood stock still staring up at the Tardis’ monitor. Perhaps it was nothing, the gray mare thought, after all Sparkler did love math. Despite her protests to the contrary about how such math skills were a waste for a pony whose passion and special talent was gem cutting, she knew Sparkler really loved math. She would take every opportunity to try and beat The Doctor to the answer of some equation and was always disappointed when she couldn’t.
Derpy’s eyes wandered back to The Doctor and Dinky racing about the controls and couldn’t help but smile at them. She shuffled her own hooves wishing she could help. But there had been more than enough clumsy attempts by her to help, which ended up ending in disaster, that she and the rest of her family all knew it was best for her to just stay out of the way when it came to something so technical. Perhaps Sparkler was feeling similarly useless in this crisis, that could all there was to her odd behaviour.
Dinky never felt that way. No matter what the crisis she always found a way to give the Doctor a helping hoof. It was like she had been born for this life and Derpy suspected that long after the terror and excitement had discouraged her and Sparkler from any further adventures with The Doctor, Dinky would continue on with him. Watching her daughter now, Derpy could almost see a cutie mark of stars appearing on her daughter’s flank. That would be perfect; time and space, father and daughter, adventuring together across those same elements. Derpy felt both worry and pride swell in her chest at that thought.
“Dear Celestia I swear I’ll do anything, anything just please let me figure this out,” Sparkler pleaded desperately as her mind worked through the equations once again, trying to find some error in her work or some solution, any solution that could save her family. She didn’t care what it took, she wasn’t afraid of dying if it meant they could live. But even as she bargained her own life for her family’s the last of the numbers came together in her mind creating only one inescapable truth.
Her eyes left the monitor and she slumped down on her rump. The bright wide smile on her face not cracking even when the tears started to spill down from her eyes.
“And done!” The Doctor said bucking one last leaver into the correct position. “That should do it. Great job Dinky.” The Doctor stepped over to Dinky and raised his hoof, a gesture she mimicked, and they bumped them together in celebration.
He turned to the other two mares in the control room, his beaming face turning worried when he saw Sparkler’s tears and asked, “What’s all this then?”
Sparkler just kept smiling, wiping the tears away she beamed up at The Doctor, “It’s nothing Professor. I just was a little worried there for a second.”
Her horn flared to life with its magical aura and she picked up Dinky, floating her over with telekinesis. Wrapping the little filly up in a hug she beamed happily and said, “Not that I had anything to worry about with my brilliant little sister on the job, right.”
Dinky tried to protest playfully that it was The Doctor who did all the work, but Sparkler just ticked the filly’s belly, cutting off any protests and causing Dinky to unleash a fitful giddy giggling.
The Doctor moved to sit next to Derpy and watched the pair play with a happy, if not somewhat confused, smile across his face. He still didn’t understand their insistence on showing their love for one another by pestering or sending the other into a convulsive fit, but it made him happy all the same.
Derpy wrapped her hooves around The Doctor and gave him a relieved nuzzle. She had been so tense waiting to see whether or not he would be able to save them this time and Sparkler’s nervousness had made her worry even more. But now, seeing her loomed daughter playing with her sister, she felt the worry wash away.
The Doctor nuzzled Derpy back. He was now easily able to ignore the small voice in his head that told him that it was wrong of him to become so attached to ponies he would long out live. Nothing that made him so happy could be a bad thing.
Suddenly the Tardis rocked and several lights on the control panel began to flash as sounds of warning erupted all around them.
“That’s not right,” The Doctor rushed back to the controls, peering at several screens, then rushing around to several others. “Oh no! Oh no, no, no! What have I done…”
Dinky looked over to The Doctor and struggled a little indicating that she wanted Sparkler to let her go. But the full grown mare just hugged Dinky tighter, shushing any protests. Even as the temperature in the Tardis began to rapidly rise, Sparkler continued hugging the filly to her and reassured her that there was nothing they could do. There was no perfect answer this time.
Sparkler just wished she could turn off the shield. Which now only served to slow the effect of the unimaginable heat wave that was washing over them.
Author's Note
Though posted individually, this is the first in a series of story inspired by ObabScribbler and TheLostNarrator's discussion on grimdark. As such they will be dark, but rarely gory. However since I have little desire to fight with people on the matter I'll just label them as Dark.